Erin downgrades to Category 4 Hurricane plus new spot behind it in Atlantic

NEW OREANS (WGNO) – The tropics continue to brew with the biggest news being that Hurricane Erin has now downgraded to a category 4.

Hurricane Erin is currently about 160-miles northwest of Anguilla and 150-miles from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Its moving westward at 15-mph with maximum sustained winds that have lost a bit of power decreasing down to 150-mph making Erin a category 4 hurricane.

According to data from the NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters indicates that fluctuation in the storm’s intensity is expected over the next few days for “inner structural changes” or an eyewall replacement cycle.

Erin’s hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30-miles from the center and the tropical-storm-force winds extend up to 185-miles.

The National Hurricane Center says, “A turn towards the west-northwest is expected [Saturday night] with a decrease in forward speed, and a turn towards the north is expected to occur early next week.”

The NHC forecasts that “the center of Erin is expected to move just north of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico through Sunday, and pass to the east of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas Sunday night and Monday.”

The main risks for Erin remain heavy rainfall up to 6-inches bringing the chance for flooding, landslides and mudslides along with damaging wind gusts plus rough ocean conditions like life-threating surf and rip currents.

There is a Tropical Storm Watch in effect for St. Martin, St. Barthelemy, Sint Maarten along with Turks and Caicos Islands.

Here’s a new spot in the central Tropical Atlantic not too far off from where Hurricane Erin is…

The National Hurricane Center says, “An area of low pressure could form during the middle to latter portion of next week from a westward moving tropical wave,” adding “some subsequent development could occur as the system moves westward to west-northwestward at around 15-mph.”

The formation chances in this area over the next 48-hours is 0%, but 20% for the next 7-days.

This other spot we’ve been keeping an eye on for about 24-hours now and it does not appear to be seeing too much change.

The National Hurricane Center continues to see “an area of low pressure located off the coast of North Carolina producing limited disorganized shower activity to the east of the center.”

The NHC predicts that “some slight development is possible for this system over the next day or so while it moves little over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.”

Environmental conditions are forecasted to become unfavorable for further development come Monday putting formation chances over the next 48-hours and 7-days at 10%.

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